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Clinton
from West Virginia
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Mar 29, 2008 |
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Overall Rating: 2.2   |
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First time I have ever paid over $300 a night for a 1 bedroom so called condo with a pull out sofa for 2 adults and 2 kids that the 4 inch matress with the coils sticking in your back on the sofa bed! Top this off with no internet service and you can leave your cell phone in the car because they don't work in the rooms.
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Nikki
from Virginia
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Mar 26, 2008 |
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| Overall Rating: 2.8 |
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We have been coming to Snowshoe for years. In the past 2-3 years prices have ski-rocketed, service has decreased, and overcrowding is crazy. We still love the atmosphere of Snowshoe and it is one of the only places in the Southeast that you can "almost" always count on to have snow.
Recently we had a run-in with an employee at Misty's the bar located in Silver Creek. I wouldn't suggest eating or drinking in this establishment. My husband was verbally threatened and foul language was used by a server in front of my 3-year old daughter and infant son. It was the absolute craziest experience I have ever had in a restaurant. I agree with the comments concerning the staff at Snowshoe not "caring" about the service.
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Ryan
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Feb 29, 2008 |
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| Overall Rating: 2.4 |
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I hope the people that are saying Snowshoe is the best in the east, mean southeast. There are at least 20 areas in New England offer a FAR better experience for the same price.
Pros: Northern Length trails on the Westside. Very fun party atmosphere at night. Nice accommodations and tastefully done village.
Cons: CROWDS. I can almost guarantee Snowshoe has the highest skier/acre ratio in the country. They put ten thousand skiers on a mountain that has capacity for half that. Snowshoe is also WAY over priced. They charge Vermont prices, but it's just not worth it. Service is awful there - perpetually understaffed
Snowshoe could be great if they focused on the Western Territory. There is room for many more trails and lifts that would offer a great experience. Why invest in more short runs off of Widowmaker???
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Kim
from Virginia
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Feb 10, 2008 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.8 |
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All depends when you go. We live 4.30 min away and bought season passes this year. We have been a couple of times this season and snow conditions have varied from ok to fantastic. Service not always consistent, but mostly fine. People are complaining about prices of this ski resort e.g. shops, gas etc. I have been to ski resorts in Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and other US destinations: they are all always pricier! This is the best resort in the East and worth the drive. There are off site accomodation options, which are somewhat cheaper and BYO booze!
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Robby Bullard
from Chapel Hill, NC
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Feb 4, 2008 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.4 |
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By far the best resort in the south. Only a 5-6 hour drive from the triangle area of NC. Variety of runs plus the 1.5 mile runs on the western side of the mountain.
Got lucky over groundhog's weekend early feb. After a few weeks of normal seasonal cold the snow pack grew solid and friday night's storm graced us with about 3-4" of fresh top.
Went with the UNC Ski Team, about 45 of us in a large house. Great time...
Only complaints: Service was somewhat under expectation. Seems no one there really cares about the guests, whether it be on the slopes, in the diners, or in the shops. Need to open more lifts, we were lucky though.. waits were only about 15 minutes at worst. They could also open more runs for the amount of traffic the place receives and the number of condos they are putting up.
Bottom Line: GO. Beats the crap out of NC skiing and is much closer than Colorado and Utah. Just watch the weather...
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Maxim
from Ashburn VA
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Jan 9, 2008 |
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| Overall Rating: 2.2 |
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We have been going to Snowshoe since 2000 almost every year, sometimes twice a year. It was a really good resort up until may be 2005 or so, since then it has been getting worse and worse. This year trip first week in January 08 was a disaster. Not only due to unusually warm weather, snow as little there was was OK, the problem is that resort has expanded too fast. By my rough estimate they have at least doubled number of condos while adding no new terrain, no new lifts, no additional restaurants. The result is very predictable, there is no place to go. All slopes are crowded. Management makes no attempt to separate and direct traffic, optimize use of slopes. Skiing is only good for an hour or so after opening, after that - forget it. Lift lines could reach 30-40 minutes. And they open slopes very late, sometimes half an hour after official opening time, 9. a.m. My advise is stay away - it is definitely not worth the long drive.
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Matt
from Leesburg, VA
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Dec 28, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.2 |
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I am a patroller at a resort in PA about an hour from DC, so I have plenty of experience with "southern skiing". Our trip to Snowshoe was during the Early January thaw in 2007 that closed pretty much everything else in the Southeast.
This was my 10+ trip to Snowshoe but the first with the family (wife, 3 & 2 year old). We also went with our neighbors (husband, wife, 12, 7, 1). The previously mentioned thaw definitely took a bite out of the terrain that snowshoe had to offer but they still had nearly 30 trails open.
Overall the experience was top notch. We stayed in Snowcrest which is a lower end condo that Snowshoe offers but had a blast. We had very light crowds even on the weekend due to the weather but the skiing was still great.
The Big Top was a welcome opportunity for the kids to run around while the parents had the opportunity to sit back and enjoy a few adult beverages.
Our neighbors who accompanied us middle child is autistic. They enrolled him in the adaptive ski program which was wonderful. They had experience working with children of special needs and it greatly added to the experience.
The Terrain at Snowshoe has something for everyone. I am totally shocked at the "flat terrain" comments in previous postings. I have spent much time out west and enjoy Cupp and Shaes Revenge immensely.
Our 3 year old also skied with us and there was plenty of terrain for her to enjoy both on snowshoe and silver creek.
We also used the childcare with some apprehension so that my wife and I could get some skiing in. They were GREAT. The program was well run and our kids who are not accustomed to "day care" loved it. The staff for the whole mountain was nothing short of 5 star.
All and all Snowshoe is great. It is expensive, and a drive that can drive you insane (especially if the weather is bad), and there can be terrible crowds, but I would stat the same thing if I were writing a review of Squaw or Heavenly in NV. Only difference is no canyon/bowl skiing and no airfare required for a family of 4.
If you are looking to introduce your family to a skiing vacation and you are in the MD, DC, VA area, spend a few days learning the basics at a local resort (whitetail, liberty, roundtop, etc) before you book snowshoe and then go enjoy a mountain resort experience at Snowshoe.
I have been going to Snowshoe for 10+ years and Intrawest has been nothing but positive for Snowshoe (I only wish they would invest in Fan Guns opposed to the snow cannons they currently use).
A great family skitrip and get away
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M. K.
from Raleigh, NC
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Dec 10, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.4 |
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Here is the good and the bad.
Good - Nice variety of slopes. Usually gets snow when other SE resorts don't. Nice accomodations.
Bad - Expensive accomodations. Long drive for most in the southeast. 6.5 hours from Raleigh. Crowded on about half of the lifts. Definitely the top resort in the southeast. If you have the time and money, this is the place to go, but if not Wintergreen and Winterplace may do.
Can be compared to the mid size ski resort in the northeast. Wish they would put extra runs off of western territory and windowmaker.
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Lea
from Charleston, SC
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Mar 1, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 2.2 |
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This place is the best skiing in the South. It is by far the largest as far as # of trails, acreage, & vertical drop. It can be crowded but it is far less crowded than Winterplace. There are good restaurants even outdoor grilling for lunch.
Bring everything you think you might need, especially if you intend to eat in the Condo because the store is the most expensive I have ever seen. The pricing is not for the faint of heart. The beer six-packs are just as expensive as they are buying six of them individually in the bar. Gas up in Marlinton. The gas prices are 1/2 what they are at the Snowshoe store.
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j.
from charlotte,nc
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Feb 7, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 2.8 |
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I love Snowshoe, but the lines have gotten unbearable. I have also never been mowed over so many times, there are an extraordinary number of skiers and snowboarders out of control and they will run right into/over/through you and then just move on. And I stay mostly on the black diamonds to try and avoid this. A few weeks ago there were 2 serious collisions on the trail I was skiing, 2 people had to be lifted by helicopter (saw the chopper myself, not a rumor). This is only done for life threatening conditions. You have to assume that one person caused the crash and the other was just minding their own business - very scary.
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Jae
from Baltimore, MD
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Feb 2, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.8 |
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Awesome place. As far as beginner trails, infinitely better than Whitetail, Ski Roundtop, and Elk in PA. Long trails + just the right amount of challenge = lots of fun. Unfortunately long trails also = painfully long lift rides, but I think it's worth the trade-off. Some reviews complained of inadequately marked trails, and it can definitely be intimidating at first due to the sheer size of the place and crowds, but take your time and examine the trail maps and follow the signs, and you'll be fine. There are also pocket-sized trail maps available everywhere- take them along and use them, and you shouldn't have any problems.
The biggest pain about the terrain was the constant running of the snowblowers. These things are ground level, and they literally shoot right onto the paths of oncoming skiers, oftentimes right at face level. A good breeze will also carry the "snow" (more like tiny ice chunks than flakes) for long ways and peg you in the face even when you're not in close proximity to the blowers. Bottom line: it hurts, so MAKE SURE YOU BRING YOUR GOGGLES AND MASKS (they're obviously way overpriced at the resort so buy beforehand). I guarantee you'll need them if the blowers are running.
Service was outstanding. All the employees we came across, from the front desk ppl to the maids, were so nice. Some reviews complained of rude service, but we must have been very lucky because in the 3 days we were there, not a single Snowshoe employee treated us with so much as even a hint of indifference. Everyone was always very attentive and helpful. You reap what you sow. If you come into the trip with a nasty, everything-better-be-perfect attitude and vibe, then you're just setting yourself up for a miserable time, and people will react to you accordingly.
We stayed in a junior studio at Highland House. One review I read complained about how it was so small and overly priced. Um... my girlfriend and I couldn't disagree more. Yes, from a purely monetary standpoint, $200/night is a lot for a room, and you'd expect to get a lot for the money if we were talking about an off-resort hotel. Clearly however, you're going to pay a premium for slopeside access and the convenience of being in the heart of the retail section of the resort. On top of that, the junior studio is MORE than comfortable for 2 ppl and is an absolute bargain when, along with the aforementioned advantages, you consider the gas fireplace, kitchenette (unfortunately no stove), high-speed internet, and cleanliness of the place. It's attached to Cheat Mountain Pizza and right across the sidewalk from Fox Fire- arguably two of the best places to eat (along with the very expensive Red Fox) at Snowshoe. And yes, Highland House as of 1/21/07 is very clean and well-maintained, contrary to what the aforementioned review says. Scuff marks on the walls from luggage and skis are no big deal- some ppl's standards are laughable.
The reviews about the huge crowds are definitely accurate, however. We stayed from 1/19/07-1/21/07, and everyday we were there, the trails were packed. If you're not comfortable skiing around other ppl (I'm not), this is probably going to be pretty stressful (we'll call it a eustress though). The lines for the lifts were literally 20+ people deep and 4-5 ppl wide. It was mild chaos, at times. There were several instances of ppl (kids and adults alike) just cutting into line, though it was probably due more to confusion on where lines started than to outright rudeness. Snowshoe definitely needs to bring some organization to this problem- it's definitely not cool.
Overall though we thought the resort was fantastic. It was like we entered a completely different world when we got to the top of Snowshoe. Just ten miles earlier there wasn't a hint of snow on the ground, but as we got closer and closer to the summit, we saw more and more snow. By the time we pulled into the resort, the area was completely blanketed in white, and it was snowing pretty heavily. You could have told me we were in Canada or out west, and I would have believed you.
Also, price is something a lot of ppl bring up as a negative when talking about Snowshoe. I've read a lot of reviews about how Canaan is so much cheaper and a better value for the money. We looked into Canaan before going with Snowshoe, and it was only marginally cheaper. For ~$490+tax, Canaan offers 2-nights lodging and 2-day lift tickets for 2 ppl. Snowshoe offers the same thing if you stay at one of the cheaper lodges/condos (which by all accounts seems most comparable to the lodging at Canaan). Or for less than $100 more at Snowshoe, you could upgrade to Highland House or Rimfire and wind up with premiere slope-side lodging. And for $150 more, book at Allegheny Springs and get the best lodging Snowshoe has to offer. The only advantage the Canaan package offers is that they throw in free breakfasts; the cheapest meal of the day that probably would run less than $20 for 2 ppl for a weekend. I can't speak of the skiing at Canaan, but from a pure price standpoint, there's nothing special about Canaan.
Finally just a couple of quicks notes that will hopefully help some people out:
- I would HIGHLY recommend taking a 4-wheel-drive vehicle. In accordance with all the reviews, Snowshoe IS very difficult to get to (and possibly even more difficult to get home from). My girlfriend and I almost got stranded in the middle of the mountains in my VW when it couldn't make it up a hill in the snow-- very scary. Even the 4wd vehicles we saw had serious traction problems. The traffic on 33 through the mountains averaged ~10 mph due to the snow and incredibly slippery conditions.
- We got absolutely NO cell phone reception once we got on 33. For a good 100+ miles, there was nothing. We have T-Mobile btw. Maybe ppl w/ other carriers will have better luck, but when my car got stuck, we asked numerous passers-by if we could use their cell phones, but no one had reception either. Also there was absolutely no reception anywhere on the resort.
- Both Snowshoe and Silver Creek will probably be packed on the weekends. Silver Creek seems to be packed with all the beginner snowboarders btw. We tried to beat the crowds by heading over to Silver Creek early one morning but found it just as crowded as the main mountain.
- Pizza at Cheat Mountain runs anywhere from ~$12-$20, depending on size and toppings. Their medium is rather small but good enough for 1-1.5 meals between a male and female.
- Fox Fire was around $50 for 2 ppl for appetizers (~$10), two of the cheaper main courses ($15 for BBQ ribs, $12 for spicy chicken sandwhich), and sodas ($2 each). We didn't get any alcohol. The most expensive thing on their menu was a 16oz steak for ~$29. Food was good though albeit a little expensive.
- Bring a shovel- most parking is outside, and it does snow a lot up there.
- The green trails on Snowshoe are definitely narrower than trails on Silver Creek. Lots of interconnecting paths on Snowshoe make it so you always have to watch for oncoming skiers. Despite this, I would say the Snowshoe trails are EASIER (ie; flatter) and more fun (slightly longer) than the Silver Creek trails.
- Only Silver Creek has night skiing (no lights on Snowshoe trails- go figure). Snowshoe trails close around 4:30 pm.
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Fred
from Fairfax VA
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Jan 29, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 5.0 |
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Just came back from Snowshoe it was a blast.Stayed at Silver Creek. They got 31 inchs in the last two weeks. Closet thing Ive come to West Coast Sking within a 4 hour Drive from DC. People were very friendly.
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Tom
from Huntsville, AL
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Feb 19, 2006 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.2 |
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Started to ski here two years ago. Have been 5 times. Best place in southeast. However, Snowshoe has two many interconnecting narrow trails and when crowded, is a pain. SilverCreek (part of Snowshoe resort and lift ticket good there also, but different mountain 2 miles away) has wider, longer trails that don't interconnect. Also has night skiing which is nice.
Service is fair.
Terrain is pretty good for WV.
Crowds are almost non-existant at Silver Creek during the week. Snowshoe is packed on weekends.
Went skiing Feb 16-17. 16th was great. However, that night it rained and they didn't groom any blues or blacks. Next day they were a sheet of ice.
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TK
from Atlanta GA
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Jan 10, 2006 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.8 |
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This is the best on the East Coast. The only problem was that sometimes it rained instead of Snowed which is not that fun. Overall it was good, but a very boring place other than skiing. Resturants are slammed starting at 5pm and over hour waits at resturants are common. Bring your groceries the only "real" grocery store is about 1 hour away.
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anthony venturino
from Fairfax, Virginia
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Nov 3, 2005 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.6 |
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If you live in Washington, DC this is the only drivable place for any serious skiing. The condos were also nice. However, you have to reserve months in advabnce for a weekend. The outdoor hot tub was also fun and the village is nice for the kids, but if you can't ski there is not much else to do. Crowded on weekends, but if you look hard you can find a lift or two with reasonable lines.
